Last month we were invited by the Los Angeles Tourism Board to spend one week in the City of Angels in a way that a typical tourist would not. Pro tip: If you're going, bring sunscreen - we all came back three shades darker.
After a rough 12-hour flight, we did not want to head straight to Downtown Los Angeles and instead started our trip at Venice Beach. The city is home to Venice Beach, one of its most famous surf breaks, beaches, and coastal experiences.
Venice Beach offers a long, sandy, sun-drenched stretch of coastline and a historical boardwalk with numerous shops and restaurants. The summer months are filled with activity from street performers, poets, cyclists, skaters, and painters.
Just three minutes from Venice Beach is Hotel Erwin where we stayed. It boasts an extremely convenient location and some beach view rooms.
Most importantly, the hotel has a rooftop bar that offers great views. It is a great place to grab a drink or two while you try to adjust to the time change.
After the jet lag had worn off, the fun part of the trip finally began. Instead of just taking a picture of the Hollywood sign from their rooftop bar, we got to see it while horseback riding in Griffith Park. This took us to Los Angeles' only riding stable,
Hollywood Sunset Ranch.
Hollywood Sunset Ranch requires advanced bookings and a personal information form to be completed prior to riding. Guests are then given a very brief introduction to the basics of horseback riding and a quick review of the safety rules. The introduction tends to make a lot of first-time riders nervous, but there's no need to worry. All of the horses are very well trained and you will only have to focus on minor adjustments to make while riding.
The trail ride starts in the Hollywood Hills and opens up to a spectacular view of the city from 360 degrees. The view encompasses the entire city including the Hollywood sign, the Pacific Ocean, and the valleys that spread far beyond. The ranch has many ride options, including the two-hour ride we did, themed experiences such as Lunch Ride, Sunset Dinner Ride, BBQ Ride, and Kids' Parties.
Located just minutes from LAX, Marina del Rey is one of the largest man-made small craft harbors in the entire country. When my son first arrived at LAX, we had no idea we would be doing 90 minutes of yoga on the water just a few days later.
YOGAqua Stand-Up Paddleboard Yoga
All levels of yoga are welcome at YOGAqua.
Like the case with any new activity, there is no need to stress about the first experience: the instructors are responsible for the class and guiding it all the way through the experience. In fact, we were told that none of the paddleboarders, including her, had paddled off the board three times. I actually discovered a new, calm side of Los Angeles while standing and balancing;
it was a good workout to be out on the water. On this trip, I also got to experience other activities in Los Angeles. I learned about making cocktails at The Association, Cooking tonkotsu ramen at FOODSTORY, and I took an improv class at Improv-LA. Improv-LA was started by veteran improv artist Keith Saltojanes. The school is aimed at actors and hobbyists, but also anyone who feels they need to break out of their shell a bit. It's a good place to practice performance skills, and sometimes that's all the aim is, to let go. These unique experiences in Los Angeles are a must for any traveler and should be included in the top attractions. By fitting in with the locals, some may find a different perspective not only on the city but on themselves. In the span of a week, we experienced the city’s remarkable range of multicultural and multi-ethnic food offerings as a variety of global cuisines. From American and Japanese to Chinese, Thai, and even Peruvian food and vegetarian dining. There was something to meet every appetite and very little room for disappointment. Since 1917, Grand Central Market has been referred to as Los Angeles’ “urban kitchen.” In all its 30,000 square foot glory, it has seen both prosperity and decline while still remaining in the same spot. In addition to selling legitimate international snacks, meals, plus desserts, more than 50 vendors sell fresh produce, seafood, meats, sauces, seasonings, and various pantry items.< p> Some of the most well-known vendors include the China Café that sells wonton chow mein, Tacos Tumbras a Tomas, an egg sandwich place called EGGSLUT, and Central Texas-style smoked brisket BBQ at Horse Thief BBQ. Other vendors include DTLA Cheese and Wexler's Deli plus sausage, oyster, and mixed plate vendors. All of these vendors make this area a paradise for food lovers. < p>Since 2008, Flake has been serving fresh sandwiches and snacks with an honest American brunch under the California sun, and if your travels bring you to Venice Beach, you must visit this place. < p>Opened by famous Los Angeles DJ Dave Reiss, Sunny Spot's goal is to create a place for the community to hang out, relax, and share food and drinks together. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor garden seating, and the menu is inspired by vacation vibes with bold and playful flavors like pineapple pork chops and a bucket of fried chicken wings. Rum cocktails that pair well with the food were created by Brian Butler, the former bartender of A-Frame. < p>When it opened in 2009, Tavern was considered one of the largest and most charming restaurants in Los Angeles, and it was designed by Jeffrey Alan Marks. Specifically, it merges a refined food marketplace and a bar that features hand-crafted cocktails with artisanal wines. Celebrities such as Former U.S. President Obama, Jessica Alba, Cindy Crawford and Gwyneth Paltrow have been patrons.
Gratitude Café, owned by former U.S. President Barack Obama, has three locations in Los Angeles, and is a vegetarian restaurant which is also a favoured eatery for Beyonce and Jay Z, as well as a number of other celebrities. One of the restaurant’s key features is an entirely organic menu.
Originally from the Scopa food and drink group, Steve Livigni and Pablo Moix, DAMA was one of the first new concepts to receive strong reviews in Downtown Los Angeles. The fusion of a tropical island and vintage Latin aesthetic in the design, combined with an outdoor terrace, multi-level dining, and lounge space, creates an environment conducive to a small plate, seafood, and meat-based offering, along with cocktails and wine for an enjoyable dining experience.
A well-known Peruvian restaurant in Los Angeles is Los Balcones, which is run by the Rodriguez brothers: Jorge, Eduard, and Walter. The three brothers are originally from Ica, Peru, and their family moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s, after having made numerous trips to L.A. during the 1950s. The brothers' menu history provides depth, with traditional Peruvian food as the family's cultural connection, enhanced with Californian and Los Angeles-inspired dishes.
With many influences, Sorra is a rooftop bar and fusion restaurant that has a Japanese head chef along with Californian, Mexican, and Chinese elements. The bar offers a majestic view of the entire city along with a perfect vantage point to see how Los Angeles transforms from Day to Night, and starts to shine. Sorra serves cocktails and sunset drinks that are filled with fruit and are just as lively as the surroundings. Los Angeles is a haven for food lovers and shoppers, but primarily for a specific type of shopper. The multi-brand luxury boutique stores and designer shops don't seem to have the best prices as compared to other shopping hubs, 10% sales tax included. Major streetwear labels are found in Los Angeles so this is the city for streetwear lovers. The Melrose/Fairfax District has the highest concentration of brand stores in the city, and one day is not enough to explore it all. It also houses Paul Smith’s social-media-famous pink wall, which can take just as long to photograph as it takes to shop through the district. Supreme, where shoppers needed to enter a lottery just to queue on weekly release days RIPNDIP, next door to Supreme and no less visually assertive Dover Street Market Los Angeles Rei Kawakubo’s sixth Dover Street Market worldwide opened in Los Angeles the previous year. The 15,000-square-foot, all-white space carries COMME des GARÇONS and its CDG line alongside streetwear and sportswear labels including Stussy, Nike, BrainDead, Palace, Off-White™, and Noah. Following a US$1 billion redevelopment, Westfield Century City now covers 120,000 square meters and has over 200 shops and restaurants. This site hosts the first-ever Eataly on the West Coast, a new three-level Nordstrom, a recently updated three-level Bloomingdale's, a modern Macy's, and a luxury Equinox fitness club and spa. Westfield Century City has a well-defined layout with a sunlit outdoor dining promenade and hidden bars. Along the serene pathways and gardens, private cabanas provide an oasis. The many trees offer a shaded respite and bring the feel of nature close as you shop.
